Students from India studying in the country have access to ¬£6m+ in scholarships, with over ¬£1m ringfenced to attract outstanding Indian students

Posted by Julian Owen | December 10, 2017 | International

As a delegation of Scotland’s higher education leaders accompany Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney on an official visit to India, Universities Scotland can announce that there are scholarship opportunities available to students from India for all of Scotland’s 19 higher education institutions.

Here are a selection of the wide range of opportunities available:

- The Scottish Funding Council has announced a new £200,000 scholarship fund to mark the mission in India, which will give 20 students from India scholarships of up to £10,000 for 2018/19 to be jointly funded by the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish universities. The offer is limited to the three of the themes of the mission: big data, medical technologies and food/water

- Strathclyde Business School (part of the University of Strathclyde) has launched a new scholarship of up to £7,000 to give 2018/19 Indian applicants the opportunity to undertake a Strathclyde MBA (one year, full time study) in Glasgow, commencing September 2018

- The University of Stirling has introduced a new postgraduate taught scholarship for 2018/19 Indian applicants to receive a £2,000 tuition fee waiver

- This year, Edinburgh Napier University is granting four Education is GREAT India Scholarships to Indian students to the value of £7,000. It's part of a joint initiative between the British Council and UK Universities to support exceptional students from India in furthering their education in the UK

- There are approximately 150 scholarships available to Indian students across Heriot-Watt University campuses in Scotland, Dubai and Malaysia. Last year (2016/17) the university awarded £375,000 in scholarships to students from India

- To celebrate its 120 years since its original foundation in Paisley in 1897, 25 years as a university and 10 years as the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), the UWS is offering 120 ‘120 Anniversary Scholarships’ to non-EU international students who have achieved academic excellence. This includes outstanding students from India

- The University of Edinburgh has over £80,000 of scholarships to offer Indian students. The largest is from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation which supports exceptionally talented young Indian students

From 2–5 December 2017, the delegation of higher education leaders joined the Scottish Government, Scottish Development International and the British Council as they met with key Indian government officials, education policymakers and business leaders.

To deepen existing relationships and build new partnerships with the higher education sector and key industries in India, a joint-programme of events is being hosted by 11 of Scotland’s universities and the Scottish Government in Mumbai and Delhi.

They will share the message that “Scotland’s universities welcome India” and demonstrate “Scotland’s reputation for excellence in research, innovation and learning”. There are currently over 1,300 Indian students studying in Scotland and the delegation will celebrate the excellent quality of Indian students at under-graduate and post-graduate levels in Scottish universities.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “I am delighted to announce these 20 scholarships and to extend a warm welcome to students from India to come to Scotland to benefit from a high quality educational experience, our world-class research and Scotland’s distinctive culture.

“I fully expect our friends from India will made good use of the opportunities to develop the skills they need to support their long term employment prospects.”

The India higher education mission is part a global campaign called ‘Scotland’s universities welcome the world’, which celebrates the diversity and inclusivity of Scottish universities. It is backed by all 19 higher education institutions across Scotland, which are already home to over 180 different nationalities among their students and staff.